‘Ensure new buildings seismic zone IV compliant’

In a significant development, the Delhi high court has directed municipal bodies and the DDA to ensure that no buildings in future are constructed in the national capital which are not seismic zone IV compliant.

The directions were issued by a two-judge bench, comprising of Justices Badar Durrez Ahmed and Sanjeev Sachdeva, which observed that the municipal corporations have to work under the superintendence and control of the Delhi government while formulating an action plan for making buildings seismic zone IV compliant. The court also directed the corporations to forward their action plan to the Delhi government within two weeks.

The government has been directed to examine the action plan and finalise it for implementation within four weeks thereafter by issuing guidelines or bylaws, if necessary. The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) was directed to file a status report regarding making structures in their jurisdiction compliant with norms for seismic zone IV.

The court gave the directions while hearing a PIL by advocate Arpit Bhargava who had questioned the safety of the buildings in Delhi in the eventuality of any earthquake, like the one which recently rocked Nepal. The matter has been listed for hearing on March 30.

The Centre had told the court on January 27 that the corporations would formulate plans to implement the national building code and disaster preparedness under the control of the Delhi government. The Centre had told the court that the issues raised in the PIL were covered by the building regulations chapter in the Delhi Municipal Corpo-ration Act and added that the provisions have to be enforced by the commissi-oners of the corporations under the general superintendence, direction and control of Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi.